John Sweeney is a British investigative reporter. In a distinguished career, he has toured war zones, filmed secretly in North Korea, confronted Vladimir Putin – and more. Only once (to his intense embarrassment) has he lost his temper on camera.

Significantly, this happened when he was making a programme about Scientology during which the Church subjected him to an intense programme of surveillance and provocation – “Scientology and Me” which appeared in 2007.

Some time later, Mike Rinder a top spokesman for the Church who had been involved in ‘handling’ Sweeney, became disaffected and left the organisation. He has since become a prominent critic, and featured…

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Scroll down for Version 3 of my “three column version” of the Scientology Mafia. The latest chart compares the Church of Scientology to the classic Mafia structure. In this case, David Miscavige is the boss of the three major components of the Scientology Mafia: CSI, IAS., and the Sea Org.

For many decades the classic Mafia legal defense was to argue that the Mafia did not exist — and it was virtually impossible for prosecutors to actually prove that the Mafia existed. In the same vein, Sea Org Captain David Miscavige and the Church of Scientology are arguing in court that the Sea Org has no legal existence and that Sea Org rank means nothing. In my view, however, the Church of Scientology is the operating arm of Scientology’s paramilitary Mafia-like Sea Org.

To be exact, the Church of Scientology and the Sea Org are inseparable and synonymous; the distinction…

The term “the Church of Scientology” is a term of convenience used to refer to all of the separate and distinct legal corporations that are referred to as “churches” and “organizations” within the Scientology ecclesiastical hierarchy. Example: If you sign a contract for religious services with the Flag Service Organization you agree to the following:

2.RTC is also a Scientology church, and, it is legally separate and distinct from all other Scientology churches.

3. CST is also a Scientology church, and, it is legally separate and distinct from all other Scientology churches.

4. Every Scientology church is legally separate and distinct from all other Scientology churches.

For a time around 2005, the film actor Tom Cruise took it upon himself to promote Scientology’s aggressive hostility to psychiatry and psychiatric medication in media interviews.

In a masterpiece of understatement, this article in The Journal of Clinical Investigation examines many of of the statements that Cruise made at this time (and also refers to L Ron Hubbard’s writings).

It concludes that there was no rational medical foundation for his advice, and that attempting to follow it was potentially hazardous to health. Consequently the medially qualified author characterised the (unqualified) actor’s behaviour as ‘dangerous and irresponsible’.

Some people may raise an eyebrow at such an uncompromising condemnation. I don’t blame them. It is reasonable to doubt that a highly-motived film actor who caters to a mass…